Subject: apsfilter 3.0 - new apsfilter available
From: [email-masked] (Andreas Klemm)
Date: 22 Jul 1994 22:04:58 +0300
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.announce

Hi all ! The new apsfilter is out next weekend. Expect it to be on the
Eunet server this weekend !

Here a summary what you may expect !

	APSFILTER 3.0			by Andreas Klemm
	=============			<[email-masked]>

	copyright 1993, 1994

					with the kind help of
					Thomas Bueschgens 
					<[email-masked]>
					who helped debugging the filter
					and inventing/adding new features
					btw: he is the dvips guru to include 
					the nice little pictures into dvi
					documents ;-)

#############################################################################
#
#			C O P Y R I G H T 
#
#############################################################################
#
#
# You are permitted to use this script in the terms of the 
#
# 		    GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE
# 		       Version 2, June 1991
# 
#
#  Copyright (C) 1989, 1991 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
#                           675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
#  Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies
#  of this license document, but changing it is not allowed.
# 

WHAT IS APSFILTER
=================
					
APSFILTER is a lineprinter input filter for systems with a BSD alike
printing mechanism (lpd, /etc/printcap), that saves users a lot of work 
when printing different file types no matter if compressed or not !!!

Additionally it enables non Postscript printers, that are supported
by the public domain postscript emulator "ghostscript" (gs), to
print postscript files !

With the new apsfilter Version 3.0 it's now possible to print 
*compressed* documents directly without unpacking !!! 
The wanted packers/unpackers have to be already installed on your system.

 o Supported packers:

	GZIP, PACK, COMPRESS, FREEZE/MELT

 o Supported file types:

	Postscript
	TeX DVI
	Ascii
	Data (PCL,...)
	GIFF
	TIFF
	Sun Rasterfiles
	FIG
	PNM (pbmplus)

GENERAL FEATURES
================

	- user customizeable by $HOME/.apsfilterrc file !!!
	  See template apsfilterrc for a full description

	- .apsfilterrc file lets you determine another dvi
	  file print program.

	- you can print compressed files without unpacking
	  then first !

	- apsfilter comes with an installation script, that
	  does nearly _everything_ for you !

	- SETUP creates spool directories as needed and fixes
	  permissions

	- SETUP creates printcap entries, no matter if you have a
	  serial or a parallel printer.

	- SETUP updates your /etc/magic file to recognize all
	  file types we need, if you like.

	- SETUP creates all symbolic links for you that are needed
	  to switch on or off certain filter features or methods

	- SETUP guides you more or less (;-) through the step, which 
	  of gs's printer driver to use ...
	  Note: it's up to you to have a gs binary, which has all
	  drivers you need compiled in !!!!

	- SETUP allows you to install apsfilter for use with
	  real postscript Printers ! So apsfilters interesting features
	  remain no matter if you use gs or not !

	- apsfilter knows about the following print METHODS:
		- 'auto':  determine file type automatically
		- 'ascii': treat file as an ascii file even if it 
			   seems to be a data file (german texts 
			   with ``Umlauten'')
		- 'raw':   print ascii files directly to the printer
			   without postprocessing (using a2ps and gs)
			   for fast listings !

	- apsfilter knows about the following a2ps FEATURES:
		- 1:  print 1 page  on one sheet with    header
		- 1n: print 1 page  on one sheet without header
		- 2:  print 2 pages on one sheet with    header
		- 2n: print 2 pages on one sheet without header

	- modified a2ps ! The page header now contains Filename and 
	  the username !!!
	
	- supports dvips' feature to include postscript files into 
	  TeX/DVI Documents (i.e. X11 screenshots using xgrab or
	  xfig images !!!

	- No searchdatabase - updated via cron - anymore. Each user 
	  may modify his TEXINPUTS path in his own $HOME/.apsfilterrc
	  file !

	- apsfilter doesn't use tmp file. That saves space.
	  Only one exception ... compressed dvi files printed via
	  dvips.

What do I need for APS-2
========================

You really need ghostscript, the free Postscript emulator !!!

The best is a Unix System with the following packages included:

	- gs 2.4 (ghostscript ps emulator)
	- dvi2ps
	- pbmplus utilities
	- compress
	- gnu zip 1.2.4

Add on software that comes with apsfilter 3.0
=============================================

If you don't have a FreeBSD 1.1.5.1 system, then you have to
recompile the two utilities in the src tree (a2ps and rewindstdin).

Without these utilities you cannot use apsfilter.

The default installation directory is /usr/local/bin.

enhanced A2PS
=============

All filters after aps-20 use a2ps to print ascii files. I patched a2ps 
so you can select paperformat, print margins, filename and username on the
commandline instead of compiling it in. 
I mailed the diffs to the author of the package, but still received no answer.
Therefore alls apsfilter releases above aps-22 come with the patched source 
ready for compiling it. The diffs are also included.

CHARACTER SETS, GERMAN "Umlaute"
================================

Using a2ps's -8 option enables the printing of the ISO Latin Characterset.
So it's no Problem to print special characters ;-)

Get apsfilter via ftp mail:
==========================

File: aps-30.tgz	Size: ~260 KB.

mail [email-masked]
Subject: <none>
uuencode
send os/Linux/Incoming.EUnet/aps-30.tgz
quit

Get apsfilter via ftp:
======================

ftp ftp.Germany.EU.Net
login: ftp
password: -yourmailaddress
binary
hash
get /pub/os/Linux/Incoming.EUnet/aps-30.tgz
quit

If the filter isn't in these paths then try the directory

/pub/os/Linux/Local.EUnet/People/akl

Have fun

	Andreas ///

--
Andreas Klemm                 /\/\____ Wiechers & Partner Datentechnik GmbH 
[email-masked] ___/\/\/     [email-masked] (Unix Support)

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